The Newspaper of Imperial College Union LORDS VINDICATE fCU Hundreds of overseas students could be eligible for refunds of their fees instruction to refuse awards, not undergraduate in metallurgy. and back-dated home student grants from Local Authorities, following only to these people but to For nearly five years Michael a ruling in the House of Lords last month. The judgement was the virtually all students who did not Arthur and successive presidents culmination of a five-year legal battle started by Imperial College hold a British passport—in- saw the cases go through Divi- Union. cluding one whose father had sional Courts and Courts of The Lords ruled that students lived in Britain for seventeen Appeal until on December 16 last who have lived in Great Britain years. year the House of Lords ruled for three years or more (including A number of test cases chal- that any resident with a settled those who came here on student lenging these refusals were taken purpose — including that of visas for purely educational to court, among them one education — is an 'Ordinary purposes and have no intention brought by Imperial College Resident'. In his speech, Lord of remaining in Britain after Welfare Officer Michael Officer Scarman ruled that education is their courses) are eligible for and Mary Attenborough, then a settled purpose, and that Local Education Authority ICU President, on behalf of Immigration States and future grants. As a direct consequence, Shahin Bagha, a first-year intentions were irrelevant. it seems certain that these continued on page 3 people, who have until now paid the high fees imposed on over- seas students, will now be entitled to register as home students, whose fees are con- siderably lower and paid to the universities by local authorities. It is reasonable to expect that ihe fees paid by the students to tne colleges will have to be refunded. Michael Arthur, whose appeal has been upheld by the Lords. In addition, the increase in the number of Home Students have received preferential means that College have ex- treatment as 'centres of ex- ceeded the 'Home Student cellence', these may well be Quota' imposed by the Univer- waived. sities Grants Council. This is the The wording of the 1962 maximum number of students Education Act is that students paying the lower fees that a who have been 'Ordinary Resi- College may accept in any year; dent' in Britain for three years one thousand and fifty for are eligible for grants. In Imperial College last year. January of 1978, the Department Colleges are encouraged to accept of Education of Science sent a as many overseas students as circular to Local Authorities possible, because their indepen- suggesting that people who had dently paid fees (which have entered Britain on Student Visas doubled in the last three years) to take O and A Levels before are a major source of income to going to universities were not the Department of Education ordinarily resident because they and Science. Colleges that were here for educational exceed their home student quota purposes only, and many in- face severe financial penalties, tended to leave the country as although in the case of Imperial soon as they had qualified. Local 'But I do stand and count them!' Captain Lindley with pocket and several other colleges which Authorities took this as an calculator at his retirement party last month. No. 6321 I Friday, January 14,1983' I Free! 33% of its cost is in avionics The parts of a modern aircraft that It may surprise you that Britain, in have the highest value (in every the shape of Marconi Avionics, is one sense) are the ones you can't see. of the world's leaders in every Its avionics, aspect of avionics. Avionics encompasses virtually every To such an extent that we supply a aspect of an aircraft's operation. grp-^r range of avionics systems than Digital electronic flight control any other company m the world And systems transform a basically we supply them to some of the world's unstable type into one that's safe toughest markets, including the U.S. and predictable. It may also surprise you that, as a Terrain-following doppler radar graduate in electronics, computer science, enables it to hug the ground even physics or maths, you could be an at high speeds, effective member of one of our project Advanced electro-optics, including teams within weeks of joining, at the laser gyroscopes, help the pilot locate start of a learning curve whose steepness his position with pinpoint accuracy. you'll find exhilarating. The latest communications equipment If that's an idea that appeals to you you keeps it constantly in touch with can find out more about our work, and your its base, and with other aircraft. work with us, by coming along to our Weapons guidance systems help the presentation on 21st January. aircraft engage its target. Alternatively write to: John Carden, Electronic countermeasures prevent it Personnel Officer Marconi Avionics Ltd., becomina one itself Airport Works, Rochester Kent, ME1 2XX. Thafs why 15% of our workforce are graduates MARCONI Page21 January 14,1983 FELIX INEWSI Round Britain Jezebel Violated Flat Out A team from City and Guilds hour shifts. The groups will be A headlamp and a bearing RCSU last year. However, Jez is College is organising a sponsored based in fully-equipped Dor- belonging to RCS's motorised not a violate mascot and QMCU's non-stop pedal-car ride around mobile-type vans in which they mascot Jezebel are in the hands of action is thus against mascotry the coastline of Britain next July. will escort the pedaller. Three Queen Mary College Students' rules. Mr Batty has asked The participants hope to raise groups of four will cover the first Union. QMCU to return the missing £10,000 for the Royal National five days of the journey before They were stolen on the last parts and eventually negotiate Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), and handing over to another three Wednesday of last term, but Mary's handover with RCSU's to qualify for an entry in the groups. On top of the partici- RCS did not discover who was Vice-President Fiona Owen. Guinness Book Of Records. pants' expenses, the team hope to responsible until last Wednesday. 'The only ones to suffer are The vehicle that they will use raise enough money to buy an According to Duncan Batty, the the Motor Club members, as the is the Windcheetah Street Legal engine for a Brede-class RNLI RCS Motor Club Chairman, bearing needs repairing and we Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) lifeboat. This they will do by three people came to see him at will not be able to run Jez for at made by Burrows Engineering of personal and industrial sponsor- Jez's Garage where he was least another couple of weeks,' Norwich, enclosed in an aero- ship, and by selling the twenty- working on December 15. Two said Mr Batty, who has also dynamic composite bodysheli four square feet of advertising of them pretended to want to written a letter of complaint to designed in the College. HPV space on the bodyshell. join the Motor Club and started the Principal of QMC. enthusiasts claim that these Anyone interested in taking discussing the matter with Mr machines are more comfortable, part in the trip (there are still Batty, while the third dis- warmer and faster over long places in the team, and the appeared behind Jez and took a distances than bicycles—the organisers claim that you need headlamp and a bearing which Windcheetah cruises com- not be an ultra-fit racing cyclist) was being repaired after damage fortably at 30mph. It is should be at the meeting at on Morphy Day. The theft was hoped that the 3,675 mile route 1:30pm on Tuesday January 18 not discovered until later that will be covered at an average in Room 342, Mechanical evening. speed of 20mph, taking about Engineering, or contact John Mr Batty revealed that the ten days to complete the journey. Gilday (Chemistry 3) or anyone equipment, worth £600, was The team will be divided into in the Guilds Union Office. only traced when he personally groups of four working in eight- telephoned the President of QMCU to find out whether she knew anything about it. QMCU want to exchange the stolen parts for their mascot, Mary, which was violated by Duncan Batty Flowers' Powers The Rector of Imperial College, water nuclear reactor at Sizewell. Lord Flowers, is to lead a two Lord Flowers believes that the year investigation by a commit- present planning system devised tee of experts into the British to deal only with 'little, local town and country planning difficulties' is in need of reform. system. The inquiry, funded by He has previously chaired a the Nuffield Foundation, is government commission which likely to recommend changes in produced a major report on the system of public inquiries environmental pollution. His into major building and environ- work with this new inquiry is not mental developments, such as likely to affect his work as the current controversial inquiry Rector. Taking it all lying down-the Windcheetah Street Legal Human into plans to build a pressurised Powered Vehicle without its body (which has yet to be built). was not released until the end of j continued from front page and it is by no means certain that be looking for ways to rewrite the Universities Grants Council the regulations for the award of the Christmas term. The grant The effect is that a large will supply the money.